I have a Ludwig 6 and a half by 14 chrome over brass superphonic should I go with the Emporer or Vintage Emporer? If niether please help I'm opening for suggestions.I want a fat crack without a lot of ring.I would really like to stay with a Remo head.Thanks

I have a Ludwig 6 and a half by 14 chrome over brass superphonic should I go with the Emporer or Vintage Emporer? If niether please help I'm opening for suggestions.I want a fat crack without a lot of ring.I would really like to stay with a Remo head.Thanks

Somebody told me the vintage emperor is a little thicker than a regular emperor. This should give you the fat crack without the ring that you seek. However, they also have powerstroke 3 heads for snares, which would eliminate alot of the ring too.

The main difference as you may know is the VE is a bit thicker, and the coating is over smooth white plies as opposed to the classic emperor which has clear plies under the coating. Thus, the VE should be warmer and fatter. If you're good at tuning, you shouldn't worry too much about ringing, maybe a half a moongel at most, beyond that and you'll lose volume. I have all VE's on my toms on my kit, for my LM411 (Ludalloy SS) a regular CE, and have been disappointed - only because for jazzier stuff, you really can't compare the Bonham snare to a nice maple 6.5" X 14" with an Aquarian Jack DeJohnette over a Classic Clear snare. Haha. I think the VE is a great choice. The PS3 won't ring as much, but you may sacrifice a bit of fatness - your call. Never heard how PS4's or Powerstroke X's perform on snares though, something to entertain the idea of at least.

If you want volume and projection - use an Ambassador weight head (or try the Vintage Ambassador if you must have a 2 ply head) as the heavier two ply heads kill a bit of the sustain - which is what helps you cut through the mix. You could also try the new Ambassador X which is a heavier single ply head.

Every time I have tried an Emperor weight head on a snare drum I have been disappointed. Always sounds dull to me. Single ply heads with a touch of Moongel to kill excess ring works much better IMO. If durability is a factor, try a controlled sound head (with a big dot in the center)... this again allows for a single ply response with dual ply durability where it counts.

I have a VE on my 7x14 John Tempesta snare. It's a thick-shell brass snare, so it is quite loud. I have had both Emperors and VEs on it in a short amount of time and the VE wins, hands down. I can achieve excellent sensitivity, plenty of ring, fatness, and warmth with the VE. I have yet to dent it either. The Emperor sounded good on my drum, but it is less durable and has less warmth to it.